Have you ever thought about why are siblings important?
We were sitting with our friends. This incident happened a few years back.
From nowhere, like it usually happens, when we sit with our close friends and buddies, this cropped up.
How many children should one have?
I am from India, and this reference is to the social lifestyle and culture we belong to. But as you know, with time, things change and we tend to adopt things from various cultures.
We had been married for about three years then, and we were yet to be blessed with kids. There was a couple, our close friends, who we were chatting with, who already had their first child.
We, my wife and me were of the opinion that we should have more than one child. At least two. But they were like, why, one is just enough. We can and should give the best of life to that one child. What’s the point in having more than one and not being able to provide the best to any one of them?
So, basically, the problem here was the resources required to give a good life to the children, more than having a single child or more.
Although we had some great discussions over drinks, that didn’t lead anywhere. They kept up to their beliefs and we kept to ours.
A few years later, a discussion of a similar kind happened with another set of friends. They too were of an opinion that a single child these days is enough. There is so much trouble, going through that entire grind of five-six years of bringing them up. The initial few years.
We still didn’t have our kids but were of the strong opinion that we should have more kids so that they have their siblings. For us the reason was simple. Kids should have their siblings.
Finally, after seven years of a long wait, we had our first child, and seventeen minutes later, the second child. They were twins. A boy and a girl.
We couldn’t have asked for more. Thanks to the Lord who showered us with his choicest blessings.
Our kids had their siblings from day one. Even much before they arrived in this world physically. In their mother’s womb.
My wife told me some time back when the second phase of COVID was taking away lives all around, one of her knowns also lost her husband and father-in-law.
While they, my wife and her friend, were sitting sometime later, after the unfortunate, she confessed, how stupid were we, that despite not having our siblings, we didn’t give a sibling to our only son. Today after corona has taken away everything from my life, I don’t know how to overcome this. My wife said, “Adopt a second child”. This is just one story.
There are many like these.
So the question was why are siblings important?
1. Parents cannot and will not be able to give you the moral, financial, emotional, or physical support, once they are extremely old and of course not once they are gone. Who can support you in difficult times? Your siblings.
2. While you are growing up, after a certain age, you need a friend in your home. That can only be your elder or younger sibling. A friend at home with whom you can share your pains, problems, secrets, and plans.
3. Who could have imagined the havoc Corona created? But it did. And many out of those could come out of it. But only those who had siblings or someone who could take them to the hospital. Not even first cousins were willing to risk their lives.
4. It’s not only when you are in some trouble, even for moments in your life that you want to celebrate, you want those who you can call your own. Siblings make it, a lot more happening. Many a time they plan and execute it for you. Surprise you, and who doesn’t like surprises?
My School “My Father“ – Click the link and read my first book on parenting and how siblings make parenting relatively easy.